He was a disc jockey for almost two decades at WISN radio, master of ceremonies on the old "It's a Draw" TV show with Sid Stone and the cheerful voice of afternoon drive time. But it was Chuck Arnold's one-time stint filling in for Dick Clark on "American Bandstand" in 1959 that captured Milwaukee's teenage heart.

It was a big deal, and when his Bandstand day came, he was flustered by the studio crowd. He flubbed his opening line, announcing the first record as "Lorraine," when it was really Bobby Rydell's "Kissin' Time." | March 13, 2013»Read Full Article

"A Raisin in the Sun" may be an acknowledged classic now, but director Ron OJ Parson understands how daring and radical Lorraine Hansberry's drama was in its own time.

Her play about an African-American family's plan to buy a home in an all-white Chicago neighborhood reflects the early 1950s, before Rosa Parks and the Fair Housing Act, Parson said in an interview. The civil rights movement was still embryonic, and assimilation was seen as the path to success for African-Americans. | March 13, 2013»Read Full Article

Leonard Cohen graced the Chicago Theatre stage sharply dressed in a suit and fedora hat. As his gruff, commanding voice quietly filled the room, the audience fell to a hush. It was as though they were bearing witness to a life-altering sermon, enraptured by profound songs like "Suzanne" and "Hallelujah," backed by a nine-piece band.

Four years after that concert, Cohen continues to surprise. He's older of course, at 78, but these days his performances often are, incredibly enough, even longer, between 3 1/2 and four hours. And he's taken his tour to so many places, he's starting to hit some unexpected markets, such as Milwaukee. On Friday, Cohen will perform at the Milwaukee Theatre, his first concert here since he played at what's now the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts on Feb. 25, 1975. Mayor Tom Barrett has designated Friday as "Leonard Cohen Day." | March 13, 2013»Read Full Article(5)

Edward Asner remained hospitalized Wednesday after leaving the stage Tuesday night 15 minutes into a performance of his one-man show about Franklin D. Roosevelt in Gary, Ind.

It's unclear whether the 83-year-old actor's show, "Ed Asner as FDR," will go on as scheduled at the Milwaukee Theatre Saturday. A statement issued by the Milwaukee Theatre Wednesday said: “The final decision will be made in the next few days.” | March 13, 2013»Read Full Article(3)

British pop rock band The 1975 performs the first of at least eight planned gigs in Austin, Texas, this week during the South by Southwest music conference. Photo by Piet Levy.| March 13, 2013»Read Full Blog Post

Though one of 20 finalists from a field of more than 300 cities, Milwaukee did not win Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Mayors Challenge, a national competition to address the problems facing cities today. But Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says he will still advance his project, designed to transform foreclosed properties into a food chain for locally grown foods.

The top honor and the $5 million prize went to Providence, Rhode Island, for its high-tech proposal to boost language skills among low-income children. The Providence Talks proposal will put recording devices -- like a pedometer for words -- in the hands of children to count the number of words they are exposed to. This, combined with education for parents, is designed to boost vocabulary, an indicator of success in the classroom. | March 13, 2013»Read Full Blog Post(1)

Hello and welcome to Arts Day, a day when culture lovers from across the state make their way to Madison to make their case for the value of the arts to our elected officials. If that's you, here's the full rundown.